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Website for the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC)

Désolé. Actuellement, cette page n'existe pas en français.

25.10.2011

The EPO and the United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO) have launched a website on the Cooperative Patent
Classification (CPC), a joint project aimed at developing a classification scheme
for inventions that will be used by both offices.

The website, www.cpcinfo.org, contains detailed
information about the new
classification scheme and the project's progress for staff at the EPO,
USPTO and other patent offices as well as industry and the user community.

"The launch of the CPC
website one year after the signing of the agreement is a first significant
achievement on the way to greater harmonization in the patent system,"
said EPO President Benoît Battistelli. "The innovation market is a global
market, and in order to efficiently support it with a quality-based patent
system, it is essential that patent offices in the large economic regions align
the procedures and tools."

"The new classification system not only benefits both offices, it
will also make it easier for innovators to use the wealth of information
contained in patent documents. It is an important part of our commitment to offering better
services to innovators and industry," he said.

"The development of a common basis for classifying
inventions is a further step forward in bringing the European and the United States'
patent systems closer together," said Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the
USPTO, David Kappos. "This comes at an opportune time when the United States
has introduced a major reform of the patent system in an effort to better align
with the rest of the world," he said.

"The project is also a
stepping stone towards harmonizing the patent procedures of all the major
patent offices around the globe," he added.

The CPC will be a detailed IPC-based
scheme that will enable patent examiners to efficiently conduct thorough patent
searches. It will incorporate the best classification practices from both the US and European
systems. The Offices also believe that the CPC will enhance efficiency and support
work-sharing initiatives with a view to reduce unnecessary duplication of
work.